Adapted from David Storey's novel of the same title, THIS SPORTING LIFE is a gritty, unblinking look at life in the coal mining region of Northern England as seen through the eyes of Frank Machin (Richard Harris). Produced by Karel Reisz, who made the acclaimed film about working class life SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING, and directed by Lindsay Anderson, THIS SPORTING LIFE brings realism to both the brutal violence of the Rugby matches it portrays and to the emotional and physical violence in the character's lives.

When Frank Machin leaves the mine where he has always worked and signs a contract with a professional Rugby team, he hopes to gain social standing and respect. But he finds the hero worship of the drunken fans distasteful. While the owner of the team praises Machin as his star player in the privacy of the locker room, he snubs him in public. Machin's need to love and be loved is compellingly conveyed by Harris with the same startling immediacy as is his raw physical power. He forcefully seduces his landlady, Mrs. Hammond (Rachel Roberts), into a doomed love affair. As things continue to go downhill for Machin, the film captures the mood and feel of this gray industrial area in muted tones, achieving a documentary authenticity. The nighttime shots use a silvery shine, enhancing the feeling of human alienation. Though this parable of working-class life in England is hardly uplifting, the combination of its vibrancy, Harris's sexually charged performance, and Anderson's edgy visual style give it a place not only among the great sports movies, but among the best of all British films.

Theatrical release: July 16, 1963.

Shot at Beaconsfield Studios in London, England.

Feature film debut for documentary director Lindsay Anderson.

Glenda Jackson has a very small uncredited part.

Irish actor, Richard Harris, first appeared on film in ALIVE AND KICKING (1958), directed by Cyril Frankel. He received "above the title" billing, after Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard, in MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1962). But it was THIS SPORTING LIFE that catapulted him to stardom and won him the Best Actor Award at Cannes.

DVD Features:

Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.66
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital Mono 1.0 - English
Additional Release Material:
Featurette: "Lindsay Anderson: Lucky Man?"
Interviews: Lois Sutcliffe Smith
Audio Commentary: Paul Ryan; David Storey
Trailers: Theatrical Trailer
Shorts:
1. MEET THE PIONEERS (1948)
2. WAKEFIELD EXPRESS (1952)
3. IS THAT ALL THERE IS? (1992)

Richard Harris: Irish actor, THIS SPORTING LIFE/GLADIATOR
Rachel Roberts: Welsh Actress
Alan Badel: British Actor
William Hartnell: British Actor, the first Doctor Who
Colin Blakely: British Actor
Vanda Godsell: Actor, THIS SPORTING LIFE (1963)
Anne Cunninggham: Actor, THIS SPORTING LIFE (1963)
Jack Watson: British Supporting Actor
Arthur Lowe: British Actor
Leonard Rossiter: British Comic Actor

Lindsay Anderson: British Director/Actor

Karel Reisz: British Director/Writer

David Storey: Novelist/Screenwriter

Roberto Gerhard: Composer, THIS SPORTING LIFE (1963)

Peter Taylor: British Editor, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (1967)

5 stars out of 5 -- "Lindsay Anderson's film of David Storey's novel [is] the last great showing of the 1960s wave of British realism."
"...An erotic dance of death...[and] a fascinating glimpse into the complexities of British class structure." -- Rating: B+
"...Film as close-up theatre - stark and lingering..." -- 4 out of 5 stars